Bird-trap.



Patented .lune 26, |900. R. T. HAYS.

BIRD TRAP.

(Applibation filed Apr. 7, 1900.)

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No. 652,6l5.

(llo Model.)

UNITED" STATES PATENT FFICTE.

RICHARD T. nA'Ys, or PERU, KENTUCKY.

SPECIFICATION Iforming part f Letters Patent lilo. 652,615, dated. June 26, 1900.

Application filed April 7, 1900. Serial No. 11,966. (No model.)

To rif/ZZ whom, it may con/cern:

Be it known that LRICHARD TRABUEHAYS, a citizen of the United States," residing at Peru, in the county of Oldham and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bird-Traps and I do declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

Myinvention has relation to improvements in bird-traps and the purpose and object are to construct and provide a trap especially designed to capture and kill the common English sparrow, noted for its veracity, its de-` struction of cereal and small-fruitcropsf,its

gluttony, and associated vicious character.

isticst These birds are extremely cunning in avoiding entrance to places and inclosures such as wire cages, open traps, and similar devices, but are equally desirous to enter small closed constructions provided with a small entrance and apparently suitable for housing them or providing room for nesting or roosting purposes. rlaking advantage of these propensities to enter and occupy inclosures which do not excite their suspicion, I have devised a trap which they eagerly select as a supposed nest or roosting-place, but which, being entered by them, speedily and certainly destroys them. C

I accomplish the purposes of my invention by the constructions and means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, to be taken as a part hereof, and wherein- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the trap, showing the entrance, the tilting plate with vertical side flange to close the entrance', and the apartments. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the end wall or closure of the death cell or apartment, showing the strangulating-openings therein. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective of the tilting plate or treadle.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the inclosure or house of the trap, preferably rectangular in construction, being composed of inclosing walls 1 2 3 4, a bottom 5, and a suitable roof 6, generally made of wood or of any other proper material. The roof may extend beyond the side walls, as at 7 8, forming eaves or cornices, and a ystep or shelf 9 is secured at the" lower edge of the side wall in which `the entrance is formed, upon which the birds may alight and be supported. In the bottom of thehouseis formed an opening 10, throughv yinlove down and afford the escape or passage ofthe bird from the entrance chamber or apartment 14 to the death chamber or apartlment 15.

The bottom of the entrance-chamber consists of a tilting plate 16, pivotally supported on a shaftor bar 17 and formed on one side with a vertical side flange 18,formed with an extension 19, so that when the plate is tilted the extension of the ilange will be moved down and close the entrance e to the apartment and prevent the escape or return of the bird to the outside. The inner end of the tilting plate lodges against the end of the partition 13 when in natural position, and to insure the return of the tilting plate to horizontal position after having been tilted and the bird has passed into the death-chamber the other end is reinforced or weighted, as at 20.

The outer end wall 3 is formed with one or more apertures-2l, having enlarged upper ends and tapering elongations` extending downward therefrom, as shown in the drawings. The enlarged upper ends of the open ings 2l are preferably made circular and large enough to permit the passage of the head of the bird, so that when projected through the neck of the bird slips down into the tapering elongation, and death is soon produced by.

strangulation. This end wall is made of tin or polished sheet-iron, so that the eect desired is more speedily accomplished.

The house or trap maybe secured in the place selected by any proper fastenings, crit may be suspended against a vertical surface by means of a hook or loop 22, engaged over a nail.

The number of the strangulating-slots may ICO Ahops through the entrance, lodging on the" tilting end of the tilting.plate,his weight car-g rying down the inner'end of the plate, and at,` the same time the side extension of the plate" closes the entrance. The bird then finds his Way through the passage 'between the'end of th'epartition and thelbottom of'thehouse intothe death-chamber, and the tilting plate yisy returned to ahorizontal position, thereby 'im-1 prisoningthe'bird in the deathfchamber. Assoon as `the bird finds himself `imprisoned Ahe" begins his efforts `to escape and naturallyi seeks egress'through'one ofthe strang'ulatin-gapertures, wherehe at once becomesffixedand:

2. A bird-trap-comprising a house having an entrance, and an end Wallformed with one or more elongated tapering slots, a partition dividing the house into two compartments and arranged with a space between its lower end and the floor of the house, and a tilting plate v-to @permit "and 1prevent passage under the said partition, and close the entrance to the yhouse.

3. A bird-trap comprising a house having anentrance and divided into two apartments, having a passage between 4them-constituting an entrance-chamber and a death-chamber, oneof the Walls'o'f `the latter being provided with one or more elongated tapering slots, anda tilting plate `in 'the entrance-chamber to .permit passage `therefrom to the ydeathchamber and prevent return thereto, substantially asdes'crib'ed.

4. A bird-trap com pri'singa`=house having an-entrance anoldivided into compartments, havinga :passage between them,co'n'stitu ting an 'entrance-chamber and a 'death-'chamber, one ofthe outerwalls of the death-chamber z5 speedily dies. being provided with 'one or more vtapering What Iclaim is-' slots, vand a ltilting plate in the A'entrancerl. fA'bird-'trapcomprisinganinclosure,pro chambertopermitpassage to'thedeath-chamvided with vvan entrance, a depending parti ber-and#preventfreturn thereto, formed with tiondividingthe inclc'sure'into'twoicompart-J a sideeiitension to-close tlieentrance'to the 65 3o ments'constitutingan entrance-cha'mber'and house,'subsltantiall1y as described.

adeathchamber, 'and arranged with aspace :nltestimonywhereof EIfafix `mzysiguatu're between its lowerendandthe'bottom of 'thea in -pres'enceof two witnesses. I in'closure, a'tiltingplate to open said 'space' RICHARD T. Al-IAYS. and close 'the entrance, and a Wall in the Witnesses: 35 death-chamber formed withfe'lo'ngated "taper- A. G. I-IEYLMUN. ing'slots, substantially asdescribed. l E. fH. BATES. 

